Motherhood
by stabbykeith1985
Summary: Set in the pre-SGW continuity. It has been two years since Robotnik and the Death Egg 2 vanished without a trace, and Sally was derobticized. Sonic and Sally are expecting their first baby, but an accident causes the child to come early, convincing Alicia to reconcile with her estranged daughter, regardless of Max's objection to Sally's marriage to a "commoner".


Motherhood.

A Sonally Story.

Alicia Acorn, former queen of the Kingdom of Acorn, scoured every news site and channel on the infonet, desperately trying to find some news, **any** news about her daughter Sally, and her newborn baby. All she knew for certain was that a week ago, there was an accident, and it caused Sally to go into labor early, **dangerously** early. After that, almost every story she has seen has contradicted the last. One report said the baby had only days to live, another said the baby was fine, and that it was Sally who was dying, and others far too ridiculous to mention. Alicia sifted through these stories, when suddenly that morning, every outlet was talking about the same image, what had come to be known as the "Snapshot Heard 'round the World." Some Paparazzo had not only snuck into the hospital, but somehow had managed to sneak into the intensive care unit, with his camera, and took a picture of the new family. The picture was quite heart-wrenching, there, still in a hospital gown, was her bedraggled daughter Sally, crying into a handkerchief. Sitting next to her in surgical scrubs, was an equally unkempt blue hedgehog, Sally's husband Sonic, with his arm around her in an effort to comfort her. Both were sitting next to an incubator. What was inside truly broke Alicia's heart. A tiny indigo form, not much larger than a pineapple, hooked up to a respirator. Alicia knew in her heart that this was no hoax, the picture was real, that tiny infant was her grandchild.

Alicia came to a decision, one, she realized, she should have made months ago, regardless of what her husband Maximillian felt. For almost two years she had been estranged from her daughter, thanks to Maximillian and his hatred of Sally's marriage to Sonic, it was past time to rectify that. She took a bag out of the closet and packed a couple changes of clothes and some essentials inside. She then reached under the bed and pulled out the box that held the special project she had been working on the last few months. She took it out of the box and packed it with the rest of her things. Once she had everything she needed, she slung the bag over her shoulder and left the bedroom. She made her way through the living room to the entrance of their quarters.

At the door, she was stopped by the familiar whine of an electric wheelchair. "And just where do you think you are going?" A gruff voice asked from behind her.

Alicia took a deep breath to steady her resolve before turning to face her husband, Maximillian Acorn, former king of the Kingdom of Acorn. "Where I should have gone long ago." Alicia said. "To apologize to Sally, **and** her husband Sonic. Beg for their forgiveness, on my knees if I must. And lend them what support I can in their time of need, even if it is just a shoulder to cry on."

Maximillian's face twisted in rage. "What?!" He spat. "After she betrayed our family by marrying that commoner?! And adding insult to injury by becoming impregnated with his half-breed brat?!"

Alicia couldn't believe those words had come from her husband's mouth. "That 'half-breed brat' is our grandchild!" She said, tears forming. "That 'commoner' is the Hero of Mobius! He's saved our daughter's life on countless occasions, and saved her from a fate worse than death! And in case you've forgotten, our children are 'half-breeds'!"

"It was his duty to save her!" Maximillian snarled. "We owe him nothing! As for our children, they are hardly half-breeds. The difference between squirrels and chipmunks is nothing compared to the difference between chipmunks and hedgehogs! By breeding with him, she has diluted the bloodline!"

"Max, please!" Alicia said. "Elias is dead, Alexis is dead! If we don't go to her now, we'll lose Sally as well! We lost her once already, and we only got her back through some wild miracle!" Her tears were flowing freely now from the reminder of her son's and granddaughter's deaths, as well as Sally's roboticization and subsequent restoration. "Whether you like it or not, Sally is queen, Sonic is king, and that tiny infant struggling to breathe is our grandchild!" She wiped away the tears and offered her hand. "Come with me. Our Little Bean needs her daddy as much as she needs me!"

For a moment, Maximillian seemed to genuinely consider going with her, he even started reaching for her hand. But in the next moment, his expression darkened, and he withdrew his hand and turned his back to Alicia. "Go then." He said. "Leave me. Tarnish our family's legacy, for the sake of one child like she did."

Alicia lowered her hand. "You're not the man I married and fell in love with." She left their quarters in tears, and had her personal guard escort her to the hospital. On the way over, she tried to compose herself. She needed to be strong, or at least appear strong, for Sally's sake.

At the hospital, Alicia could see a large crowd of news crews, paparazzi, and others had surrounded the campus, trying to see the royal couple and their new baby. Alicia's guards surrounded her, and pushed their way through the crowd, all the while, reporters were hounding the former queen for answers. "What do you know about the baby's condition? What about Sally's? What was your reaction to the birth? Are the rumors true that king Maximillian was heard laughing at the news that the baby is premature?" Among other questions were asked.

Alicia tried to maintain her poise and dignity. "I have no comments. I will only say that I am here to support my daughter, and see my grandchild." Ordinarily, she would try to answer their questions fully, and civilly, but today, all she wanted was to help Sally. The reporters tried to follow Alicia and her retinue into the hospital, but hospital security prevented it.

Inside, the hospital administrator met with Alicia personally, he then led her to the I.C.U. to speak with Sally's attending physician. She was a middle-aged sable, a couple of years older than Alicia. "My name is Dr. Mila Rascovic." She said, shaking Alicia's hand, she spoke with a thick, eastern Eurish accent. "Let's get straight to the point your highness. Sally is doing surprisingly well, physically at least. Emotionally, she's a wreck, and hasn't slept since the birth. As for the baby, her lungs aren't fully developed yet, so we have her hooked up to a respirator until she can breathe on her own. Also, until her fur fully grows in, and her fat deposits develop fully, she won't be able to insulate her body heat, so we are keeping her in an incubator for the time being."

As Alicia took this all in, she couldn't help but think: ' _It's a girl! I have another granddaughter!'_ She took a breath and asked the question that was weighing heavily on her. "What are her chances Doctor?"

Dr. Rascovic placed a comforting hand on Alicia's shoulder. "As I have told your daughter, all things considered, it could have been **much** worse. Every day, the baby gets stronger, and every day her chances of survival increase. It doesn't hurt that she seems to have inherited her father's stubbornness, and her mother's determination! That little girl is a survivor, I'm confident that within a few weeks she'll be able to leave the hospital."

Alicia was relieved by her optimism. "May I see them? I wish to offer my support."

Dr. Rascovic smiled warmly. "They could certainly use it. Follow me, I'll take you to them." They made their way to Sally's room, passing many others in the I.C.U., most of which were empty. They reached a door where four of the Queens Guard were standing watch, clearly the royal family were inside. Recognizing her as the Queen Mother, they unlocked and opened the door for Alicia. She walked in alone, and immediately recognized the room from the photograph. There was a bio-bed by the door, and a cot set up next to it, presumably for Sonic, neither looked like they had been used. Just like in the photo, there was an incubator at the far side of the room, with two familiar figures sitting next to it. Sally had her arm through one of the portals, with her hand resting on the baby. Sonic's ear twitched and he turned around in his chair and spotted Alicia, he was clearly shocked to see her.

"Um, Sal?" He whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We have a visitor."

Sally pulled her arm out of the incubator and turned to face Alicia. Seeing her daughter in such a state truly broke Alicia's heart. Sally's hair was frazzled as though it hadn't been combed in days, her lips were dry and cracked revealing her dehydration, and her bloodshot eyes had shadows under them from a lack of sleep. "Mother?" Sally said quietly, just as surprised as Sonic to see her.

Alicia began to cry. "Oh Sally, I'm so sorry. I-." Before Alicia could finish, Sally got up out of her chair, ran over to Alicia, and hugged her tightly, sobbing into her breast. Alicia hugged her daughter back, stroking her hair. "Oh, my poor baby! I'm so sorry this has happened to you!"

Sally took a few breaths, and seemed to calm down before looking up to Alicia's eyes. "Oh mom, I've never been so scared in my life! My little girl is hurt, and there's nothing I can do to help her, except sit here and watch!"

Alicia wiped the tears from Sally's cheeks. "I know it's hard darling. Not long ago, **my** little girl was hurt, and I too could only wait helplessly, and hope for the best. The only thing that got me through that dark time, was the knowledge that that brave young man over there would never rest until he saved you. Just as your doctor will not rest until your baby is safe, and can go home with you."

"I know." Sally said softly. "And I know the doctor says the baby will be okay, but I look at her, and see how small she is, and see a machine breathing for her, it's just too much!" She started crying again.

Alicia hugged her daughter again. "Shh, it'll be all right Sally. Before you know it, they'll take her off the respirator, out of the incubator, and you'll be able to hold her, and take care of her yourself. Until then, you have to be strong for your baby. **We** have to be strong."

Once again, Sally took a deep, shuddering breath and calmed down. "I've lasted this long, I can last a little longer."

Alicia smiled. "Good. Now come, I'd like to meet my granddaughter." They walked towards the incubator.

"Julayla." Sally said. "Her name is Julayla."

The mention of her old friend's name brought a tear to Alicia's eye. "She would have loved that!"

When they reached the incubator, Sonic stood up from his chair. "Here your highness, take my seat."

Alicia let out a small sigh as she helped Sally sit down. "Sonic, you're my son-in-law, you can call me 'Alicia', or even 'mom' if you like."

Sonic rubbed the back of his neck, seeming uncertain. "Er, let's start with Alicia, and work our way up from there."

"Whatever you're most comfortable with." Alicia said as she sat down. Sonic stood behind Sally with his hands on her shoulders.

Alicia could now finally get a good look at her granddaughter. She clearly favored her hedgehog half, with her eyes and nose shaped like Sonic's, she had small quills growing out the back of her head, and her fur was a deep indigo. She possessed some of Sally's features as well, with a tuft of auburn hair over her forehead, her quills were the same auburn, and she had light brown fur covering her stomach, chest, muzzle, and coming out in fluffs on her cheeks like her mother. "She's beautiful!" Alicia said, tearing up.

"Yeah," Sonic said, voice breaking. "she really is."

"Is it safe to touch her?" Alicia asked.

"Yes." Sally said. "In fact, the doctor encouraged us to do so. Just reach in through one of those portals."

Alicia did just that, and began to gently stroke Julayla's cheek with her fingers. As Alicia did this, Julayla half-opened her eyes, revealing blue irises, another of Sally's features. "Hello sweetheart!" Alicia said softly. "I'm your grandmother! I'm sorry we had to meet this way." Alicia slowly pulled her arm out of the incubator, and reached into her bag. "I have a present for you! Something special I've been making, to give you on your birthday!" Alicia pulled a folded up blanket out of her bag. "It's not finished yet I'm afraid. I was expecting you to come much later!" She unfolded the half-finished blanket, and showed it to her granddaughter. "This blanket will allow you to proudly display both sides of your heritage." She pointed to a square depicting an acorn in a green diamond on a red field. "These squares represent your mother. It's the sigil of the Royal House of Acorn, your house." She then pointed to the next square which depicted one of Sonic's iconic red running shoes in a yellow ring on a blue field that matched his fur. "Your father doesn't come from a noble house, so I had to design this square myself. I believe it represents him perfectly!"

Sally's eyes went wide in surprise. "Mom, that must've taken a long time to make!"

Alicia smiled warmly. "I began working on it, in secret from your father, when I learned you were pregnant." She then frowned. "He was… displeased by the news. But I was overjoyed! I felt the Source, Chaos, whatever gods are out there, had given me another chance to be a grandmother, and this time, I am **not** going to squander it!"

"So, Daddy is still upset about this." Sally said.

Alicia placed a hand on Sally's. "I'm sorry Sally. I've tried to change his mind, but he just won't budge."

Sally sniffed. "I've come to terms with it long ago. It's his loss." She smiled. "At least **you're** here."

"And I'll **always** be here for you!" Alicia said. She then turned back to Julayla. "And I'll always be here for this perfect, little angel!" A few seconds later, Alicia became aware of light snoring coming from beside her. She looked over, and saw that Sally's head had slumped forward in sleep.

Sonic breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally! I don't think she's slept more than a couple hours since she went into labor." He picked her up bridal style, as he had so many times before, careful not to wake her, and carried her to the bed.

"Do you need help?" Alicia asked.

"I'm all right your hi- I mean, Alicia." As he set Sally down and pulled the covers over her. "I've been doing this for as long as I can remember." He gave Sally a small kiss on the lips before sitting back down next to Alicia.

"You look like you haven't gotten much sleep either." Alicia said. "Perhaps you should join Sally."

Sonic yawned. "In a little bit. Until then, I don't wanna miss a thing!" He reached into the incubator and rubbed Julayla's stomach, eliciting a soft purr from the infant. "Life moves faster than I do! And I've learned the hard way to seize and enjoy every moment while I can, because tomorrow, it could all be gone!"

"You are wise beyond your years Sonic." Alicia said. "I'm glad Sally and Julayla have you in their lives." She continued to watch as her granddaughter fell back to sleep. Alicia may have lost Max, but she knew she had gained far more than she had lost, and if given the choice again, even knowing the consequences, she would make the same decision again, and again. It was a price she was more than willing to pay to once again be a mother to Sally, and a grandmother to Julayla.

The End.


End file.
